Santa Ana Federal Building & Post Office (1931)

Today I'm focusing on another historic Orange County post office: The Santa Ana Federal Building and Post Office, now known as the Spurgeon Station. It is located at 605 Bush St., in Santa Ana and is on the National Register of Historic Places. (#85000134)

In the book, Early Santa Ana, Marge Bitetti writes, "James A. Wetmore and his successor, Louis A. Simon, designed the building in the Mission/Spanish Revival style. Simon worked for the U.S. Treasury for 45 years as supervising architect. He retired in 1941."

Indeed, Wetmore and Simon of the Office of the Supervising Architect are listed as the architects on the building's National Register nomination, and Wetmore's name appears as "Acting Supervising Architect" on the building's corner stone.

But curiously, newspaper coverage during early development of the building mostly cited E. B. Morris of the U.S. Treasury Dept. as the architect in charge. Then, throughout construction, the press repeatedly cites Acting Supervising Architect Von Nerta of the Treasury Dept. as the authority on the project. One wonders just how many architects were involved in creating Spurgeon Station's eclectic mix of styles -- drawing from Spanish Colonial Revival, Federalist, Beaux-Arts, and more.

South portion of Spurgeon Station lobby. (Photo 2023 by author)

The site selection process for the building was underway in Fall 1928 and Spring 1929 and completed plans were delivered in Dec. 1930. Construction began in early Jan. 1931 and continued throughout that year.

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The cornerstone was laid on Aug 18, 1931 by Santa Ana's Masonic Lodges. (Their first official event after the dedication of their new Masonic Temple at 5th & Sycamore.) Congressman Phillip D. Swing delivered the address and praised Postmaster Terry E. Stephenson who'd successfully lobbied to start construction two years earlier than scheduled.

At the dedication, Stephenson said, "The first letter I wrote after learning that I was to be postmaster was a letter to Representative Swing to have a Federal building and that I would direct my efforts toward getting one for Santa Ana. That was in 1923."

Stephenson is also known today for having run (and partly owned) the Santa Ana Register and for being Orange County's first real local historian.

The Federal Building's grand opening was held on Jan. 2, 1932, with an open house and reception for the public the following evening. Thousands attended.

Decades later, the other Federal offices moved out of the building, leaving just the main Santa Ana Post Office. 

It was officially renamed Spurgeon Station on Jan. 1, 1968, in honor of William H. "Uncle Billy" Spurgeon -- the town's founder and its postmaster from 1870 to 1880. A ceremony marking the name change was held in Dec. 1967 with Mrs. William Spurgeon Jr., William Spurgeon III, Santa Ana Postmaster Hector Godinez, and Mayor Tom McMichael. At the same time, the city's main post office moved to a new building at 2201 N. Grand Ave.

Update, 2022: In 2009, Spurgeon Station appeared on a list of twenty post offices under consideration for closure by the USPS. Luckily, it survived that potential purge. But it seems at least one notable alteration will soon be made. On Nov. 21, 2021, Congressman Lou Correa introduced legislation to rename the building yet again -- This time to the "Judge James Perez Post Office." The bill is winding its way through Washington, D.C. without significant opposition. 

On a somewhat related note, Santa Ana's Spurgeon Intermediate School was renamed the Romero-Cruz Academy in 2019. Let's hope the Father of Santa Ana (and Co-Father of Orange County) gets to keep his name on Spurgeon Street and on his own iconic commercial building at 4th and Sycamore.

Update, February 2023: Caught in the act by angry citizens, Rep. Correa now claims that the Post Office will carry both names simultaneously, with signage (which had mysteriously disappeared) returned to the exterior proclaiming the building to be "Spurgeon Station" and a plaque on the inside proclaiming the building to be the "Judge James Perez Post Office." It seems that compromise will please no one, but will approximate "saving face" for a few.